1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a patterned magnetic recording medium and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a planarized patterned magnetic recording medium and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a magnetic grain size is reduced to less than a certain critical value, a magnetic recording medium that employs a typical bulk magnetic layer reveals a superparamagnetic effect. The superparamagnetic effect reduces the number of bits per area, i.e., the recording density. Thus, to improve the recording density by suppressing the superparamagnetic effect, there is provided a patterned medium on which magnetic grains are structurally isolated from one another. U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 2002/0068195 A1 and No. 2002/0154440 A1 disclose such a patterned medium. In comparison with a conventional magnetic recording medium using a bulk magnetic layer, such a patterned medium leads to a much higher recording density of approximately 1000 Gbit per inch square or more.
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a conventional patterned magnetic recording medium. The patterned magnetic recording medium is in the form of a disk that is rotated by a spindle motor, but FIG. 1 illustrates only an exploded portion thereof.
Referring to FIG. 1, a soft magnetic under layer 11 is disposed on the surface of a substrate 10 formed of glass or aluminum or a platter, and a buffer layer 12 is disposed on the soft magnetic under layer 11. A patterned magnetic layer 13 is then disposed on the buffer layer 12.
The patterned magnetic layer 13 includes a plurality of magnetic columns 13a, which are regularly aligned with a pitch of 0.2 nm and have a height of approximately several to several tens of nm. Thus, air gaps are formed in spaces between the magnetic columns 13a. 
In such a circumference, if a relative movement between the medium and a slider 14 on which magnetic recording/reading heads are mounted occurs as illustrated in FIG. 2, an air bearing 15 is created between the slider 14 and the patterned magnetic layer 13. At this time, air flows through the air gaps between the magnetic columns 13a below the air bearing 15. Thus, the pressure of the air bearing 15, which is applied between the slider 14 and the patterned magnetic layer 13, is reduced due to air turbulence.
As the pressure of the air bearing 15 is reduced and becomes unstable, the slider 14 using a swing arm cannot stably swing over the patterned magnetic layer 13 and, above all, the slider 14 collides with the patterned magnetic layer 13, thereby causing defects to the magnetic layer 13.